LOS ANGELES — Best-selling novelist Danielle Steel had a passion for fashion even before she got
her hands on her first Hermes Kelly bag, a gift from her grandmother, at age 17.

In her latest book,
First Sight, the glamorous ready-to-wear fashion shows in London, Milan, New York and
Paris are the backdrop for the story of Timmie O’Neill, a Los Angeles designer who runs a hugely
successful empire but has trouble finding love after a devastating loss.

Steel, 65, spoke recently about the book and her own fashion sense.

Q: Why did you want to set your latest novel in the fashion industry?

A: I’m always looking for new industries to write about. And this felt
comfortable. I mean, honestly, when you’ve written 129 books, like I have, pretty soon these ladies
are going to have to be plumbers and electricians!

Q: You have loved fashion all your life. Did you have to do any research?

A: There’s always stuff you don’t know. I’ve always gone to the couture. But
ready-to-wear is far more important in the world today. Used to be, no one went to those shows
except people who worked in the industry. I needed to know details like the sequence of shows, the
ground rules, how long they last, in what case an American designer would show in France and some
of the production details.

Q: Did you have a particular designer in mind when you created the lead character?

A: I had an American female designer in mind, but I won’t say who, and it was
really only visually.

Q: You describe Timmie’s style as “casual in a mix ’n’ match bag lady way — diamond
necklaces with T-shirts, vintage mink jacket, alligator bag.” Is that inspired by your own
style?

A: No, I’m not so good at that look, but I am fascinated by how people put it
together. My daughter Victoria, for example, will not wear a Birkin bag unless it’s beaten to
death. Of course, she gets them brand-new out of my closet and beats them to death.

Q: What do you wear when you write?

A: I’m always frozen, so layers of cashmere. I like cashmere nighties, but it’s
not so easy to find them anymore. And one of mine has a black mark down the front, because I fell
asleep with a pen in my hand and the ink spilled down the front. It’s really so disreputable. But
it’s easier to work in my nightgown, and I layer on cashmere hoodies because I work late into the
night. Occasionally, people ask if they can take a photo of me writing. I say, “Not in this
lifetime.”

Q: If you could keep only three things in your closet, what would they be?

A: Maybe my first Kelly bag my grandmother gave me or the white Jacques Heim coat
she gave me when I was 14 — which I turned around and wore backward as a dress. Even early on, I
always had my eye on fashion.